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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Geno Auriemma will have no trouble
convincing his top-ranked Connecticut Huskies that winning the
national championship won't be a snap.
LSU did it for him.
The hot-shooting Lady Tigers gave Connecticut its first scare of
the NCAA tournament, staying with the Huskies until midway through
the second half before losing the East Regional final 86-71.
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Monday,
March
27
Connecticut has many strengths, but Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams -- who combined for 26 points and 15 rebounds -- were very impressive and did an outstanding job Monday. Most teams have depth at the guard position, but when you
have that kind of depth at power forward, when players can come off the bench and immediately contribute with points, steals and boards, it makes you that much stronger. It also makes UConn's bench, which outscored LSU 18-3, that much better.
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"We really had to buckle down in the second half to make sure
we were going to win," said All-American Shea Ralph, who had 15
points for the Huskies (34-1).
Connecticut, ranked No. 1 all season and accustomed to routing
opponents, will play Penn State in Friday's national semifinals.
Penn State beat Louisiana Tech 86-65 in the Midwest Regional final.
The Huskies compiled a 31.6-point average victory margin this
season, and won their first three NCAA tournament games by a total
of 131 points.
They're also headed to the Final Four for the fourth time in
nine years. Connecticut lost to Virginia in the national semifinals
in 1991, won the 1995 title and lost to Tennessee in the semifinals
the next year.
But some of the Huskies' swagger might have been diminished by
the third-seeded Lady Tigers, who shot 73.9 percent in the first
half and were down only 46-41 at the break.
"There are no easy games to go to the Final Four," Auriemma said. "I couldn't believe it. It's just amazing how hard you have to work to go to the Final Four."
April Brown had 18 of her 25 points by halftime for LSU (25-7),
making only its second appearance in the final eight.
|  | | UConn's Shea Ralph follows LSU's Katrina Hibbert to the floor. Swin Cash is at left. |
"It was kind of frustrating knowing that we were shooting
pretty good and couldn't find a way to get that lead," Brown said.
"At halftime, we knew it came down to the defensive end."
UConn shot 56.9 percent, but never led by more than 17.
All-American Svetlana Abrosimova led the Huskies with 25 points
and was selected the regional's Most Valuable Player. Sue Bird
added 16.
"That last minute, I think it was starting to hit us that we
were going to win and we were actually going to the Final Four,"
Ralph said. "It felt wonderful."
The Huskies used intense fullcourt pressure to get off to a
quick start against the Lady Tigers. A 9-2 run gave UConn a 19-8
lead.
But the Lady Tigers' shooting, especially that of Brown, kept
them close. Brown was 7-for-8 from the field in the half and hit
all four of her 3-point shots, a big surprise after she shot
10-for-33 in her first 31 games.
"It's not your size, it's what's in your heart that matters,"
Brown said.
UConn, is headed to the Final Four for the fourth time in nine
years. Connecticut lost to Virginia in the national semifinals in
1991, won the 1995 title at 35-0 and lost to Tennessee in the
semifinals the following year.
"It's a great feeling. I just can't describe it," Abrosimova
said.
Marie Ferdinand added 17 points while playing the whole game for
LSU, which shot 51.8 percent. Katrina Hibbert and DeTrina White
added 13 points each.
The Lady Tigers, making only their second final eight
appearance, used the dazzling ball-handling of Ferdinand to
minimize the Huskies' signature press. LSU made eight of its first
nine shots and 16 of its first 20.
"We were knocking lights out, but they were hitting threes and
we were hitting twos," LSU coach Sue Gunter said of the halftime
deficit. "Going in at halftime down by five, I felt we were in
pretty good shape considering what had happened."
The Huskies didn't manage to pull away until about 12 minutes
remained, after the pace finally wore the Lady Tigers down and
their shooting cooled.
"I think we finally ran out of gas," Gunter said.
UConn led 60-52 after Tamika Williams' putback with 12:02 left
and scored 15 of the next 21 points. Ralph had seven points in the
run, which ended with her 3-pointer from the left corner that gave
the Huskies their biggest lead at 75-58.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
LSU NCAA Team Report
Connecticut NCAA Team Report
24-year wait is over: Portland, Penn State are Final Four-bound
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Shea Ralph pulls up for the 3-pointer.
avi: 627 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Sue Bird drops the 3-point jumper.
avi: 739 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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